1. Field of the Invention
The field of the present invention is chambers, especially finishing machine chambers, chambers adapted for employment as the finishing chamber of a finishing machine, especially a vibratory or vibrogyratory finishing machine, finishing machines comprising the same, and a method of production of the same.
2. Prior Art
In the past, chambers adapted for employment as the finishing chamber of a vibratory finishing machine or the like have been individually "spun" or stamped to specific dimensions for the particular use thereof as the chamber of a finishing machine or the like, each one being individually constructed according to its own particular intended use and according to a specific order including all intended specifications, dimensions, and characteristics. Otherwise, such chambers have been provided by welding one half of a cylindrical tube to the vertical walls of a central tube or column and imparting rigidity to the open channel thus provided by the employment of external supporting gussets, usually between four and twenty in number, depending upon the size, length, and other dimensions of the chamber involved. Such chambers have suffered fron numerous disadvantages due to the method of fabrication and the inherent design weaknesses and shortcomings of the structures which thus evolved.
It would be highly desirable to be able to provide such chambers particularly adapted to comprise the finishing chamber of a vibratory or vibrogyratory finishing machine or the like which are not individually created according to their specific end use and according to a specific order; but which rather employ readily-available materials and technology, although established in other fields, for their production, and which moreover avoid some of the shortcomings inherent in prior art chambers due to their method of fabrication and resulting structure. Such a desirable objective has been attained according to the present invention using existing tank head materials and technology, and according to a simplified procedure which produces a quality product having numerous advantages, many of which could not have been predicted.
For example, a chamber of the present invention does not require thermal stress relief after its production since residual stresses in the product are reduced by the opportunity, due to the unique method of fabrication employed, to eliminate welding at locations which are subject to extreme stress during use or operation. Thus, the structure provided according to the present invention does not flex in actual use, so less stress is placed upon the weldments which are employed. In addition, due to these same factors, a vibratory or vibrogyratory finishing machine employing a finishing chamber according to the present invention may be operated at the same capacity but much more quietly, up to at least three decibels more quietly, than the same machine equipped with a conventional finishing chamber. Moreover, to move the same mass of finishing media and parts to be finished, a prime mover of twenty to thirty percent less horsepower may be employed, with the same efficiency, especially in the larger models, due to the fact that energy is not wasted in flexing of the structure or fabrication but is therefore available for moving of the mass of finishing media and parts to be finished. Additionally, due to elimination of flexing in the chamber structure or fabrication produced, a more efficient finishing operation can be conducted in a chamber according to the invention, since in many existing types of finishing machine chambers the inherent weaknesses and flexing actually impart a non-uniform action to the finishing media and parts being finished, as evidenced by dead spots and non-uniform rolls of the media in different areas of the finishing chamber when the finishing operation is in progress. It is apparent that such a chamber construction having the aforesaid advantages and relative simplicity of fabrication will be enthusiastically received by the industry.